Super Fighting Tokyo

Chapter 165 Only Once

In the ward.

Maruk lay on his side in the hospital bed, his body wrapped in bandages.

Severely injured and on the verge of death, he closed his eyes and drifted into a hazy dream.

Scenes flashed before his eyes.

The shelves and sandbags hurled at us, the powerful kicks, Spek's sinister grin, the crowd on opening night, and even things from much earlier times...

The sunrise he saw when he and Shiraki fell off the building; the screams of his victims when he killed them; the murderous monster named "Rodm"; and Q-Tarou's twisted teachings...

In a daze, Maruk seemed to have returned to the past, back to that abandoned building filled with bloodshed and slaughter.

Q-Lang stood right in front of Maruk, muttering to himself like a revolving lantern.

“Holding murderous intent is still too difficult for you, Maruk.”

"Let it end like this, let's perish together..."

In my dream, Q-Lang had a somber expression.

"You have always been born as a sword and shield for others, both on my side and later. That has always been your way of being."

"Therefore, when you encounter someone who is simply attacking and killing others regardless of their purpose, you cannot defeat them."

"Let's go even further. Fight to kill, and you'll become stronger."

"Q-Lang," formed from his inner "killing intent," stands before an iron prison door, tempting Maruk.

"Come, open this door, return to that world that is filled with killing and violence, become the strongest one, fight and win!"

Q-Lang raised an eyebrow and grinned, revealing a twisted smile.

"Never forget, the purpose of fighting is to kill. If you don't have this awareness, you are not worthy to step onto the battlefield!"

"..."

Maruk stumbled forward, almost grabbing the handle of the prison door, when suddenly he remembered something.

"……wrong."

Q-Long was taken aback. "What?"

Maruk focused his gaze and said in a deep voice, "No, fighting to kill—that's not pure. Fighting and killing are two different things!"

"Maruk is wrong. Holding murderous intent will not make you stronger, and not wanting to kill will not make you weaker!"

“What you’re talking about isn’t what Maruk considers ‘powerful’…”

"You're a liar!"

Swish!
Maruk turned and threw a punch, forcefully striking the "killing intent Q-Darlang" within his heart. Although he did not shatter it in one blow, he still made it tremble.

"call……"

Maruk took a deep breath and looked at Q-Darling, who was slowly taking shape once again.

"Although we will definitely meet again, I am no longer afraid. Bring it on!"

"Maruk is leaving!"

"..."

In the ward, Maruk suddenly opened his eyes, his hazy senses gone, replaced by excruciating pain throughout his body.

"Well--!?"

Maruk groaned, feeling as if countless bones were broken, and his vision gradually cleared.

On the hospital bed next to him lay the seriously injured and unconscious Imai Kosuke.

Not far away, several older brothers and sisters arrived; they were all friends of Maruk.

……

……

Shiraki Shōka and Mitsurugi arrived last night.

Soon after, Anne Sakurai rushed over and, together with the hospital doctors, examined Maruk and Cosmos's injuries.

On one hand, it was a favor from her own boss; on the other hand, she had long coveted Maruk's cyborg body and naturally wanted to study it thoroughly when the opportunity arose.

In the early hours of the morning, the "Wakatsuki Samurai" of Kokai Pharmaceuticals also rushed over after learning the news to visit the two wounded soldiers—his new and old friends.

"Ah, you're awake?"

Sakurai Anne turned her head and noticed that Maruk had opened his eyes, indicating that everyone could rest assured.

"It's alright now. Although he almost died, with Maruk's modified body, he can slowly recover once he wakes up."

Sakurai Anne held the two people's medical reports and sighed softly.

"But then again, that's really an exaggeration..."

She looked at Imai Kosaku.

"Ruptured liver and spleen leading to hemoperitoneum, torn abdominal muscles, fractured nasal bridge, half of the face skin torn off, broken incisors, intracranial microbleeds..."

Then he looked at Maruk.

"Severe damage to the diaphragm, rupture of mesenteric blood vessels, depression of the zygomatic arch fracture, dislocation of the temporomandibular joint, and perforation of the right tympanic membrane..."

Put down the report.

"Both of them had numerous incomplete fractures, skin lacerations mixed with embedded sand and gravel, and multiple soft tissue contusions."

"—That's all, and it's just a general overview; it's not even finished."

Sakurai Anne narrowed her one eye, scanning the crowd. "Did you all understand? They're going all out."

"Thanks to Maruk's extraordinary physical condition, which caught the enemy off guard, and his desperate protection of his inner universe at the last moment, the two of them were able to crawl back from the brink of death."

"..."

……

After finishing her work, Anne Sakurai quietly began studying Maruk's medical report.

On the other side, Shiraki Shō and Mitsusei Koishi were having a quiet discussion.

Meanwhile, Xiaoyuzhou's old friend, Takeshi Wakatsuki, sat by Xiaoyuzhou's bedside, chatting with him as he was awakened by pain, trying to distract him.

"This time, it's a really crushing defeat..."

Xiao Yuzhou's eyelids drooped and twitched occasionally. Half of his body was burning with pain, especially his cheek that had been rubbed against the ground.

Not wanting his old friend to worry, Xiaoyuzhou joked, "Speaking of which, will it leave a scar? The doctor didn't say anything just now, but I'm quite concerned about my face."

"……Ha ha."

Hearing that her friend was alright, Takeshi Wakatsuki finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Anyway, get well as soon as possible. Only when you're healthy can you take revenge."

Upon hearing the samurai's words, Xiaoyu thought for a moment, then shook his head, "No, there's no chance."

"Ok?"

Wakatsuki Samurai was puzzled.

Based on his understanding of Imai's cosmos, he knew that the opponent was not the type to lose confidence after just one defeat.

But Xiaoyuzhou suddenly changed the subject, looking at Shiraki Cheng and Mushi Mitsuyo, "I don't know about Shiraki-senpai, but as for my master, he's not the kind of 'good person' who would wait for me to take revenge."

"..."

Upon hearing this, the samurai Wakatsuki immediately understood.

"I see, I understand."

As someone who came from the Rokujinkaikan, Takeshi Wakatsuki was very familiar with the protective nature of those large organizations.

If someone from the Six Truths Guild or the Divine Heart Society is attacked and seriously injured, they will do everything in their power to avenge the attack, even resorting to any means necessary.

While Mushi Dojo and Douhun Martial Arts School are not large organizations, both Shiraki Cheng and Mushi Guangshi are individuals with distinct personalities.

The martial arts group they run!
Compared to sitting in the ward taking care of the wounded, the two of them must have something else they wanted to do.

"..."

Just then, Shiraki Chenggang tucked the sleeping Maruk into bed and came over to Xiaoyuzhou, whispering with a smile, "Indeed, Mushi and I share the same idea."

Koyuu looked at Takeshi Wakatsuki, "I told you so..."

He looked up at the ceiling and sighed softly, "Neither Senior Shiraki nor my master are 'martial arts masters from literary works'."

"Letting their disciples hone their skills on their own until they defeat their nemesis—this dreamlike prospect was something the two of them couldn't resist..."

After their thoughts were exposed, Shiraki Sei and Muishi Mitsuyo exchanged a smile.

"indeed."

Mu Shi put his hands on his hips and said, "We are not kind-hearted elders. We will not teach you slowly, nor will we patiently wait for you to take revenge."

"We just wanted to fight that guy—that's all."

Shiraki peeled an orange.

Ultimately, this kind of thing actually happens quite often—

"I thought he was my nemesis, and I trained for many years to defeat him, but he ended up falling in battle with others."

"If you're not satisfied, cherish every battle and don't think about challenging again after defeat, because there may not be a next time."

"A battle is a battle; there is no difference between a first and a second time."

"..."

"Understood, senior, I will remember..."

Xiao Yuzhou remained calm, nodded, and gestured to his friends, "Thank you for your care, everyone. I'd like to take a nap first."

Everyone understood and left one after another, closing the door behind them.

click!
As soon as the door closed, a commotion came from inside the ward.

That was a roar of extreme resentment and anger.
"Sbek! Ahh ...

Even in the corridor, everyone could hear Xiaoyuzhou and Maruk's roars, both speaking in unison, their voices hoarse and strained.

"..."

Shiraki Sei and Mushi exchanged a glance, both understanding each other perfectly.

Both Maruk and Imai Kosou will understand the difference between ring matches and "battles" after this battle.

They want to become stronger, and they can become stronger!
"..."

Bai Mucheng took out his phone and started sending messages as he scrolled through them.

Mu Shi leaned over and asked, "Ah Cheng, what are you doing?"

Bai Mucheng shook the screen. "Contact your friends, ask them to help find someone, and then go fight."

Mu Shi flashed a healthy, cheerful smile. "Thanks for your hard work! Remember to send me a copy once you find it. I'd really like to hang out with that Spek too!"

(End of this chapter)